For the Pierre family, accessing healthcare in southern Haiti was once a difficult and uncertain journey.
The family lived in Duchity, a community in Haiti’s Grand’Anse department, where limited medical options, long travel distances, and high transportation costs made receiving care challenging. For a household supported by informal and unpredictable income, seeking treatment could also place a significant financial strain on the entire family.
Despite these obstacles, the Pierres made the difficult journey to Hope for Haiti’s Infirmary St. Etienne (ISE) in Les Cayes, determined to find the care they needed.
That decision began a relationship that has now supported the family’s health for more than a decade.
Managing Chronic Conditions Through Consistent Care
Etude Dossous first arrived at ISE in 2013 seeking treatment for heart disease. Over time, she was also diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes—chronic conditions that require regular monitoring, medication, laboratory testing, and careful coordination between patients and healthcare providers.
Through ongoing follow-up appointments and treatment, the healthcare team at ISE has helped Etude manage her conditions and reduce the risk of serious complications.
This support became especially important during her pregnancies. Although ISE did not directly provide her prenatal care, the treatment and guidance Etude received helped her manage her underlying health conditions. She went on to safely carry and deliver two healthy children.
For women living with heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic conditions, consistent access to medical care can make an important difference. In communities where healthcare resources are limited, however, that continuity is not always available.
For Etude, ISE became a source of dependable care through different stages of her life.
Life-Saving Support for Manley
ISE has also played an essential role in the health of Etude’s son, Manley.
Now 11 years old, Manley has received treatment for sickle cell anemia through ISE since 2014. Sickle cell anemia is a lifelong condition that can cause severe pain, anemia, infections, and other serious complications, making routine medical care especially important.
When Manley’s condition required more advanced treatment than ISE could provide directly, Hope for Haiti’s referral program supported his admission to a partner hospital and helped fund the life-saving care he needed.
Today, Manley continues to receive routine follow-up care. He is healthy, thriving, and back in school—able to focus on learning, spending time with his family, and enjoying his childhood.
His recovery reflects the importance of a connected healthcare system: one that can provide primary care, recognize when specialized treatment is needed, and help patients access services beyond the clinic.
Comprehensive Care for the Whole Family
The Pierre family now lives in Les Cayes and continues to rely on ISE for a range of healthcare needs.
Etude receives ongoing treatment for her chronic conditions. Manley returns for follow-up care, while other members of the family—including Etude’s 19-year-old daughter, Achelie—access services ranging from primary care to gynecology.
Having multiple services available through one trusted healthcare provider allows the family to receive more coordinated and continuous care. It also provides important financial relief for a household of seven supported by informal and unstable income.
Instead of facing illness alone or delaying treatment because of cost, the family knows where they can turn for support.
Building Healthier Futures in Southern Haiti
Since 2009, Infirmary St. Etienne has expanded to provide integrated healthcare services for children, adults, and families in southern Haiti. These services include general medicine, pediatrics, nutrition, vaccinations, chronic illness care, laboratory diagnostics, gynecology, and referral support.
This comprehensive approach allows patients to receive preventive services, testing, treatment, education, and follow-up care through a connected system.
For families like the Pierres, healthcare is not defined by a single appointment. It is built through relationships, trust, and the assurance that care will continue when new needs arise.
Today, the Pierre family is no longer navigating illness alone. With access to consistent, quality healthcare, they are healthier, more stable, and able to look toward the future with renewed hope.
Hope for Haiti believes that access to quality healthcare is a human right. Through ISE, mobile clinics, public health programs, and partnerships with healthcare facilities across southern Haiti, our team is working to make that right a reality for more children and families.
Learn more about Hope for Haiti’s healthcare programs.
Explore our Annual Gratitude Reports to see the broader impact of your support.
Help More Families Access Consistent Care
Your generosity helps Hope for Haiti provide patient consultations, laboratory services, medication, chronic illness management, referrals, and other essential healthcare services.
By making a gift, you can help more families receive the care they need without having to choose between their health and other basic necessities.
Make a gift to support healthcare in southern Haiti.
